Lettuces for autumn

After a period in August when I was sadly without home-grown lettuces, I’m delighted to be able to nip out again into the front garden to pick leaves for dinner. My butterhead ‘Merveille de quatre saisons’ (sown at the end of June) and the pointy oakleaf ‘Cocarde’ (sown at the end of July) have been giving bowls of luscious lettuce for a few weeks now, and as the weather starts to cool down, I want to see how these leaves will survive outside without any protection as autumn turns into winter.

I’ve also planted some small Cos ‘Freckles lettuces (sown at the beginning of August) that were so fantastic earlier in the year, to see how their growth progresses and how hardy they are at this time of year. If you haven’t got any lettuces on the go, but still want to have some winter leaves, have a read of Michelle Chapman’s great post ‘A cheat’s guide to salad growing‘.

Waiting in the wings to be planted are some tiny mustard leaf seedlings (planted a few weeks ago). They’re going in the same bed as my Tulips, but I wanted to wait until November to plant these bulbs, so mustard leaf seedlings are getting a bit leggy in their seed trays. The energetic me says plant these on into modules right now and they’ll put on some growth before transplanting in a few weeks, but the lazy me has just left them languishing in their trays. This successional planting can require good timing, luck (that snail and slugs don’t gobble all your seedlings) and above all, effort! I know how much I’ll enjoy having Mizuna, ‘Red giant mustard leaf’ and ‘Green in snow’ to eat in November and December though, so I really ought to get potting on straight away while the sun is shining and the leaves are still on the trees.

8 Responses

Thanks for the link Naomi :) I’ve just sown some ‘Green in Snow’, so ‘real’ sowing is still on the go at VP Gardens. I’m interested to see how your outdoor lettuce experimenting goes – some of mine have just started to run to seed, even though I’ve been picking them. I’m not sure if they’re naturally at the end of their run, or if it’s the shorter days and/or cooler temperatures which have triggered the change.

Hi Michelle, I’m really enjoying experimenting with lettuces and other leaves. I also have one butterhead going to seed, but it has been really mild lately and it was sown end June, so I agree, this just might just be at the end of its run. Should have planted more in early September…..next year! Actually, do have some ‘Artic King’ seedlings sown mid September. Need to pot these on, but can I bear to go out into the rain again today!

I had a lull too and then it picked up but things are tailing off now. I have quite a few leaves on the go but growth outdoors is slow and it has been so wet it’s still a frustrating battle with slugs and now mildew and botrytis are rearing their ugly heads.

Need to do more sowing but I’m so busy at the mo that things are being a bit neglected. I definitely need more hours in the day.

Saw the veg orchestra on tv once and they were great. Inspired idea. :)

Hi WW, I had many good intentions for a regimented planting schedule for lettuces which have all gone awry and slugs also played their part in providing gaps in production this year. However, this did make me think of other leaves, such as Pea shoots, to grow, and I think I’m going to continue to plant mustard leaves and maybe even a few more lettuces just to see if they grow much before the coldest months settle in. Just don’t know what the weather will be this autumn/winter, so worth a go I reckon.

I have tried growing Mizuna but even that died last winter with -18 degrees Celsius. I hope your experiment will be more successful. This year I am growing a very winter hard lettuce under a portable polytunnel. Wish me luck!